Defining Innovation

Early in September, we received a delegation of teachers and school leaders from Israel who came to Denmark for an inspirational visit focused on technology and innovation. We had the chance to sit down with 4 educators, all from different schools in Israel, to discuss how they use technology in public education, how they innovate in teaching, and what challenges they face implementing new tech and new ideas in the classroom.  Host: Brandon Lewis

In our 9th episode of Innovators podcast, we were so fortunate to play host to our first international guests on the show! Lorenz, Natasha and Pia represent a wonderful group of soon-to-be-graduating teachers and their instructors, all of whom work at the Rupprecht Gymnasium in Munich, Germany.  As part of a week long visit to the Copenhagen area, they and their colleagues participated in a full day program at TekX and nearby Rødovre Skole. The purpose of their visit was to get inspiration and explore new possibilities through exposure to our approach to technology and Innovation here in Denmark. We discussed the differences between Germany and Denmark with regard to teacher training, classroom setup and practices, as well as the very different implementations of technology in the learning environment.  We enjoyed a warm and uplifting discussion focused teaching, technology and comparing best practices.   Host: Brandon Lewis Guests: Lorenz, Natasha and Pia from Rupprecht Gymnasium in Munich, Germany Intro music by Niki N. Phaser

What is the future of education? How will it evolve, and why must it change in the coming years? What role will technology play in the school of the future? These are core questions at the heart of the Future Classroom Lab, whose mission is "to explore how technology can challenge the pedagogical praxis in schools and help develop new teaching and learning environments. " Here in the City of Rødovre, we are so fortunate to have recruited several teachers who have trained at the Future Classroom Lab. In this episode of Innovators Podcast, Brandon interviews 5 of the teachers from FCL who now work as certified full time teachers and are a part of the technology and innovation program in Rødovre. Hear their stories and experiences as new teachers, and how they are tackling the problem of trying to innovate in their classrooms within the existing structure of public education.   Host: Brandon Lewis Guests: Kenneth Weiland, Oliver Fröberg, Peter Nielsen, Jonathan Baagø, and Simon Bergholt Helms Intro music by Niki N. Phaser

Tabletop role playing games have had a major resurgence in popular culture recently, and their popularity has reached new heights with new generations of players. In this episode, we invited technology and innovation teacher Morten Svenson from Hendriksholm Skole to discuss the history of classic games, such as Dungeons & Dragons, and the potential for learning these games can bring to the classroom. Hosts: Brandon Lewis, Kenneth Weiland and Oliver Fröberg Guest: Morten Svenson Intro music by Niki N. Phaser

Here at Innovators Podcast, we are doing our first multi episode series, and the subject is none other than cryptocurrency. What is crypto, and why is it important? How is this technology changing our world? What relevance does crypto have for education? Should kids learn about crypto, and if so, how should we go about teaching it to our students? On this episode of Innovators Podcast, we welcome our colleague and fellow technology and innovation teacher Jonathan Baagø to the show to talk about cryptocurrency and answer some of these questions.  Hosts: Brandon Lewis, Kenneth Weiland and Oliver Fröberg Guest: Jonathan Baagø Intro music by Niki N. Phaser  

In episode number 5 of Innovators, Kenneth and Brandon discuss creativity in the technology and innovation space. Brandon presents his background in graffiti and visual arts as a point of departure for including design and creativity in teaching. Finally they look specifically at design based learning and the Doreen Nelson methodology.  Hosts: Brandon Lewis, Kenneth Weiland  Intro music by Niki N. Phaser Links: Design Based Learning: https://www.designbasedlearning.org/what-we-do

In the 4th episode of Innovators, we interviewed Jesper Drachman, director of TekX in Rødovre, Denmark. Jesper gives a background on how we're working with technology and innovation at the municipal level with school student in the City of Rødovre, and why innovative teaching and technological literacy is so important, all the way from early childhood development through post secondary education. Read more about TekX at TekX.dk. Hosts: Brandon Lewis, Kenneth Weiland and Oliver Fröberg Intro music by Niki N. Phaser

In the training that teachers take before they step into the classroom, there is a focus on theory and models that can be applied to the educational process. However, if innovation through technology in the classroom is the goal, are these models useful? Essential? Irrelevant? In this episode of Innovators, Kenneth, Oliver and Brandon discuss the efficacy of applying educational models in order to implement new technology and achieve innovation in teaching.  Hosts: Brandon Lewis, Kenneth Weiland and Oliver Fröberg Intro music by Niki N. Phaser Links:  SAMR model: https://www.edutopia.org/article/powerful-model-understanding-good-tech-integration

According to Steve Wozniac, if you want a good tech startup scene, "it all starts in elementary school." In the second episode of Innovators podcast, Oliver, Kenneth and Brandon discuss the definition of innovation, and why it is not only advantageous, but absolutely necessary to innovate in the education.  Hosts: Brandon Lewis, Kenneth Weiland and Oliver Fröberg Intro music by Niki N. Phaser

The first pilot episode introduces the hosts of the show - Brandon Lewis, Oliver Fröberg, and Kenneth Weiland, all of whom work as technology and innovation teachers in the city of Rødovre in Denmark.  Innovators is recorded at TekX in Rødovre, Denmark. Learn more about technology and innovation at TekX.dk Intro music by Niki N. Phaser